


Dragonborn

by JoAsakura, MissCricket



Series: Dragonborn [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Mass Effect
Genre: Crossover, Dragons, Fantasy, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-23
Updated: 2012-10-23
Packaged: 2017-11-16 21:08:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/543825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoAsakura/pseuds/JoAsakura, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCricket/pseuds/MissCricket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>News had come to Whiterun, whispers, rumours, that the city of Helgen, near the border of Falkreath Hold, and Whiterun Hold, had been destroyed by a dragon. Nothing was confirmed, no survivors had trickled out of the mountains yet, but people living in the isolated holdings, miners, rural families swore they had seen the great black beast, winging its way through the skies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dragonborn

**Author's Note:**

>  
> 
> [ Art Masterpost](http://joasakura.tumblr.com/post/34142495144/art-based-on-and-created-for-dragonborn-by)

It was a beautifully, sunny day in the city of Whiterun, and Kaidan Alenko was perched on one of the old watch tower platforms that looked out on the wide golden plains outside the city. From his vantage point Kaidan could see mammoths moving ponderously across the grasslands, their giant shepherds strolling beside them. He could also see wild horses galloping out west, and the bred horses in the paddocks of the Whiterun Stables. It all looked serene, calm, like nothing had changed.

But everything had changed. Because of Helgen.

Because of the Dragon.

News had come to Whiterun, whispers, rumours, that the city of Helgen, near the border of Falkreath Hold, and Whiterun Hold, had been destroyed by a dragon. Nothing was confirmed, no survivors had trickled out of the mountains yet, but people living in the isolated holdings, miners, rural families swore they had seen the great black beast, winging its way through the skies.

Everyone was on edge, and even though it was a beautiful day, the market was hushed, with people lingering on corners, talking about the rumours. Kaidan had made his escape up to his favourite place, high above everything, where he could sit and practice his spells without the judgemental eyes following him.

Most humans didn’t like magic, found it unusual and intimidating, but they tolerated it, because magic had his uses. Kaidan had a natural affinity for the restoration school of magic, healing and aiding the functioning of the body, and he also had talents for the rawer, elemental school of magic, destruction. One made everyone nervous...but the other was something that made him a useful asset to have.

Still...it was nice to get away from the wary looks, to let the warmth of his magic curl around his fingers without worrying about offending one of the nobles or merchants with his powers.

Kaidan smiled, letting the warmth of fire trickling up through him and into the palm of his hand. It was a simple little spell, the easiest fire spell one could learn, and had no real power behind it. It was barely a drain on his mana to maintain it, to let the ball dance through his fingers, float up slightly, to spread to both hands and stretch. However it did help his coordination, his concentration and will. A mage was only as powerful as his pool of mana, and his strength of will, something his instructors had often drilled into his head when he had attended classes at the College of Magic in Winterhold to the north.

He hadn’t belonged there, but it had certainly taught him a lot about his magic.

His eyes caught sight of another movement and he looked down at the road leading up to Whiterun, past the Stables, up towards the main gates.

It was a man, all alone, dressed in ill fitting armour, the kind usually found on bandits or highwaymen, two rusted blades strapped to his back, and chestnut brown hair mussed by the wind. Few travelers had come to the city since the news of Helgen, and the man did not look like one of the civilians from the mountains, those who came after seeing what they thought was a dragon.

He was still watching the man when he looked up, perhaps sensing his observer. Blue eyes, sharp eyes, fixed on Kaidan’s own gaze, and the Mage felt his breath catch. And then the moment passed, the man disappeared through the gates, and out of Kaidan’s sight, and he realised that the magic in his palm had grown brighter.

Closing his hand and extinguishing his ball of magic fire, Kaidan slipped off the wall and climbed down from his vantage point, his mind awhirl. 

As such he really wasn’t thinking clearly and so wasn’t looking when he crashed into a turian, dressed in the armour of the Whiterun city guard.

“Still charging around not looking where you’re going Kaidan?” Garrus Vakarian was one of Kaidan’s few friends in the city, and one of the few that had no qualms about using his talents when the situation called for a mage. Now he steadied him as he stumbled from the collision, and gave him one of those slight smirks that only a turian could really accomplish, “You really should watch that.”

“There was a necromancer, raising skeletons. If I hadn’t charged off the edge of the clifflet then I would have been lich fodder, as well you know.” Kaidan retorted, straightening, ignoring the blush he could feel creeping up his cheeks.

“When you say it like that Alenko, it sounds like it was intentional. Which is not how I recall it.” Garrus chuckled softly, turning towards the marketplace. Kaidan fell into step beside him, smoothing down his tunic as he did, “I remember there being a lot of flailing and yelping.”

“It worked didn’t it?” Kaidan huffed at his friend, “Besides, I remember you having some trouble with the skeletons...something about arrows flying through their ribs?”

“Bones and arrows don’t really mix well, as well you know!” Garrus chuckled, “You have those handy fire, frost and lightning bolts, you had no excuse.”

“Mages don’t wear armour. One slash of that lich’s claws or blade and I would have been history. You let it get past!”

“You let it get too close.” They entered the marketplace and Garrus clapped a hand onto his shoulder, “Anyway the past is the past.”

“You brought it up!”

Garrus shrugged infuriatingly, “You ran into me....and do you know that man?”

Kaidan looked up in surprise, following Garrus’ gaze to see the man from the gates walking into the marketplace from the lower town. Up close he could see that the man was handsome, those bright blue eyes looking around him curiously. He was also looking a little the worse for wear, stubble on his strong chin and bloody scrapes over his skin, along with torn armour, and dented blades.

“No...” he replied quietly, “He just got here, I saw him come through the gates.”

“A stranger?” Garrus sounded surprised, “The Jarl ordered the gates closed to all non residents.”

“Then how did he get through?” Kaidan asked, glancing at his friend, before looking back at the stranger, just in time to meet his gaze. The man’s eyebrows arched, and a tiny smile curled up his lips before he slowly made his way over to them.

“Could you possibly,” the man spoke, in a deep but slightly husky voice, “direct me to the fastest way up to Dragonsreach? I need to speak to the Jarl.”

“What business do you have with the Jarl?” Garrus asked, all business like, stepping forward and drawing the strangers’ eyes from Kaidan to him.

“I have news,” the man rubbed a hand through his hair, pulling a face at the sensation, “From Helgen.”

“Helgen!” Garrus sucked in a sharp breath of surprise.

“You were at Helgen?” Kaidan leant forward eagerly, “Really?”

“We’ve had reports...” Garrus began and then seemed to remember they were in the marketplace where anyone could overhear, “Come on, I’ll take you to the Jarl. Kaidan...I’ll see you later.”

“Kaidan huh?” the stranger turned his gaze back to Kaidan’s face and he smiled, “Nice to meet you.”

“And you...uh?”

“Shepard.” 

“Shepard...” he murmurs, “This charmer is Garrus Vakarian.”

The turian and Shepard shook hands and then the guard nodded towards the citadel on the hill, “I’ll take you to the Jarl.”

“I’m sure we’ll meet again...Kaidan.” Shepard called back as the two walked away, up towards the stairs, leading into the higher districts.

“I’m sure we will....Shepard.” Kaidan murmured, watching them leave, before turning away, mind in even more turmoil than before.

~*~

It was two days later, just before dawn, when a pounding on his front door brought Kaidan stumbling out of his bed to answer it. He yanked it open, and jerked back, after almost getting a rap on the nose from the Turian outside.

“Garrus!” Kaidan yawned, glaring at his friend, “It’s not even dawn!”

“No time for sleep,” Garrus walked into his house, and pushed Kaidan back towards his bedroom, grabbing the Mage’s robe from an armour stand, “I need a damn Mage.”

“Now?” Kaidan yawned again, catching the robe tossed at him, “What’s so important?”

“There’s been a dragon sighted. Attacking the Western Watchtower.”

Suddenly Kaidan was alert, “A dragon?”

“The rumours were right, a dragon attacked Helgen.” Garrus grabbed a small loaf of bread from the table and bit into it, “Shepard confirmed it.”

“He was there?” Kaidan struggled into his clothes, tightening his belts and securing the pouches, “There was really a dragon? They’re supposed to be all dead.”

“Yeah. He and I had to get some kind of...stone for the Jarl...” Garrus tossed Kaidan an apple and tugged him out the door, “It was supposed to give us a leg up against the dragon but it turned up right after we delivered the damn thing.” 

“So...we’re going to the watchtower?” Kaidan trotted down the stairs heading towards the main gate, chewing on his apple, “Just us?”

“You’re joking right?” Garrus pushed open the side door to the gate and ushered Kaidan through, “No, Captain Bailey already has the city guard on the way, Shepard’s with them.”

“Then why...?”

“I think we need a Mage.”

Silence fell and the two of them picked up their pace, cutting across the paddocks to rejoin the main road. Just up ahead they could see the torches of the other guards, and the two of them jogged until they came up on the back of the group.

In the flickering light of the torches and the soft light of the approaching dawn, Kaidan saw the shape of Shepard, turning to look at who was joining them, and he felt something grip his stomach at the smile that warmed the mans face when he saw them.

“Garrus!” Shepard called, pausing until Garrus and Kaidan joined him. He and the Turian did some kind of fist-bump gesture, and didn’t it just figure that the two of them would bond so well, “You brought Kaidan.”

“Thought we needed a bit of magic on our side.” Garrus clapped Kaidan on the shoulder, “And Kaidan is much better than that pet Mage the Jarl keeps up at the Dragonsreach.”

“Flatterer,” Shepard laughed softly, “I bet you say that to all the Mages you bring out hunting dragons.”

“Kaidan knows we have something special.” Garrus countered, giving that little smirk again, “He’s the only Mage for me.”

“I feel so warm and fuzzy right now.” Kaidan murmured, shaking his head at the pair of them, “But how about we focus on the task at hand.”

“Determined.” Shepard smiled slightly, “I like it.”

Silence fell then as Captain Bailey up at the head of the pack signalled for quiet. The tower was in view as they turned the corner of the path and Kaidan sucked in a short breath. 

The tower had been almost completely destroyed, stones scattered all around, and various fires burning in the patches of grassland. In the soft dawn light, the destruction seemed that much worse, as smoke and mist curled around the ruined tower.

“Search for survivors.” Bailey said wearily, “And look for any clues as to what happened here.”

Slowly they spread out, searching among the rubble. Looking around Kaidan could see that everyone was looking around the tower rather than inside it so he pulled himself up onto the ruined walkway and headed up the pitted stone ramp to the doorway.

No sooner had his hand touched the blackened wood door however, did it swing open and he found himself yanked inside.

“What’s the matter with you!?” A voice hissed in his ear, “Don’t you know it’s still out there?”

“The dragon?” Kaidan twisted, getting a good look at the man gripping his arm. He looked the worse for wear, armour singed, blood dripping from a gash on his arm. Without even thinking, Kaidan called a small healing spell to his hand, the sensation rather resembling slipping ones hand into a lovely cool stream, and pressed it to the mans arm.

Touch magic was more precise, and drained him of less mana, than casting from a distance, and Kaidan was beginning to think he might need to save his mana. Because even as the man’s wound closed, Kaidan heard a distant roar, drowning out the guards’ sigh of relief.

“Divines!” The man drew his blade, releasing Kaidan’s arm, “Here it comes again! I hope you can do more than heal, Mage...you’re going to need to.”

“Kaidan!” He heard Garrus shout, “Kaidan!”

He scrambled to the door and tumbled through it before the guard could grab him again. Once outside though he stumbled to a halt and gaped up at the huge winged shape that swooped out of the mist and smoke to snatch up a guardsman, carrying the shrieking figure up into the air before dropping him to land with a crunch, broken over some of the charred stones.

“Divines,” Kaidan whispered and took off down the walkway, jumping off the end, and just avoiding the great gust of flame that seared where he had been standing mere moments before.

The Dragon roared its defiance as it came around the tower again, and Kaidan saw an arrow shoot through the air to pierce the softer hide of the creature’s face. A draconic shriek rent the air, and many of the guards covered their ears, faces contorted with pain.

“Garrus!” Kaidan heard Shepard shouting, “Get up to the top of the tower, get some elevation, and take those other guards with bows with you!”

He didn’t hear Garrus’ reply, if there was one, because suddenly the dragon was there, swooping at him, talons and jaws outstretched, roaring once more.

Instinct took over and lightning blasted from Kaidan’s hands, striking the beast and causing it to howl with pain and fury, veering off its attacking course.

“Kaidan!” And suddenly Shepard was there, hand grabbing his arm and tugging him along, “You’re with me. The archers will bring it down and then I need you to keep it down with magic.”

He didn’t question the order, but his stomach clenched, “I don’t know any powerful paralysis spells.” He warned the man, running with him through raining fire, mist, smoke and stones.

“I saw that lightning of yours.” Shepard tugged him behind a stone outcropping, “That’ll do. This isn’t the same Dragon as at Helgen…it’s smaller…should be easier to bring down.”

“You mean…” Kaidan gawked at him, “You mean there’s more than one of these things?”

“That’s what I’m saying…”

Their eyes scanned the heavens, and found the dragon swooping around the tower again, roaring its fury as arrows peppered its armoured, scaled hide.

Suddenly the arrows paused, and then resumed, but this time all of the arrows were targeting the wings, shredding through the delicate wingsails, and causing the creature to shriek in pain. Under this assault the dragon’s steering and control began to fail until finally an arrow pierced the membrane attaching wing to shoulder and the dragon fell from the sky like a stone, landing with a loud, whump.

“Now!” Shepard shouted to Kaidan and the two of them took off, fire arcing to Kaidan’s fingers as he sketched a net in the air. It settled over the beast for a moment, before the creature shrugged it off, unaffected.

“Fire doesn’t hurt it.” Kaidan hissed, ducking behind a rock as a blast of flame engulfed where he was standing. Lightning was his only choice now, as ice would be ineffectual against the fire breath of the dragon. He sucked in a deep breath, ignoring the acid smoke and dived out of cover, lightning blasting from his fingers once more to sear across the dragons hide.

The beast screamed in anger and turned to face Kaidan, eyes full of fury and hatred and that was the moment that Shepard struck. 

He had raced up the side of the monster as Kaidan distracted it and skidded underneath the great beast, one of his blades slicing into the neck as he charged through. The dragon thrashed and then froze as Shepard’s second blade pierced the soft underside of its jaw, stabbing up through the unprotected soft hide up into the beast’s brain.

A low whine left the dragon before it slumped to the ground, lifeless.

Silence reigned for a moment, before Shepard turned towards Kaidan, shock and awe on his face, “We killed it, we-“

Suddenly the dragon before them began to disintegrate, a glowing light filling the creature from within, and blazing out as the skin and body of the beast crumbled into the light. Finally the entire form of the dragon had disappeared into the maelstrom of magical wind and bright light, and even as Kaidan shaded his eyes to see, the light left the dragon in a great ribbon, to curl around Shepard, enveloping him, leaving only the bleached white bones of the dragon’s skeleton behind.

“Shepard!” Kaidan shouted, scrambling forward, even as the light began to fade, absorbing into the man’s skin.

Shepard had frozen where he was, and it wasn’t until the last trace of that unearthly light left him that he crumpled to the ground, sobbing and retching miserably.

Kaidan was there in a moment, healing magic on his hands, but there were no wounds. Shepard had been completely healed by the light, but he was still shuddering and retching.

“Shepard.....Shepard....” Kaidan’s hand rubbed his back, anxious.

“I...I can’t believe it.” A voice came from behind him, and the guard who Kaidan had met in the tower moved into his line of sight, looking awed, and a little afraid, “He’s Dragonborn.”

“What?” Kaidan stared at him, “There haven’t been any Dragonborn for centuries, why would you think....?”

“In the old days, the tales tell us of men who would hunt down the dragons and absorb their power.” The guard replied, still looking and sounding awed, “Those were the Dragonborn...”

“I can feel everything...” Shepard groaned against Kaidan’s leg, pressing his forehead against his thigh, breathing ragged, “Her name was Mirmulnir, I can...remember everything...all her memories...her feelings...Every emotion...”

“Can you shout?” The guard asked eagerly, ignoring Kaidan’s warning look, “A Dragonborn can project a Thu’um....”

“Let me...try.” Shepard said, slowly shifting, to sit up.

“No....take your time...” Kaidan hastily reassured him, glaring at the guard, “Thee’s no rush...and you’re overwhelmed.”

“I can feel it...” Shepard patted Kaidan’s thigh, “I have to...” and he struggled up to his feet, closing his eyes. For a moment he just stood there, face uplifted, eyes closed, before suddenly his mouth opened and he shouted, “FUS!”

And Kaidan found himself sailing through the air to land tumbling, legs over head until he was still, flat on his back, the wind knocked out of him.

“Kaidan!” And Shepard was there, looking down at him, still looking a little pale but also horrified, “Divines, I had no idea it would do that...”

“That’s okay...” he wheezed breathlessly sitting up, Shepard’s hand supporting his back, and looked up in time to see Garrus and the archer guards, along with Captain Bailey, hurrying over, “That was a Thu’um...I could feel the magic in it. Foreign magic but...”

“You ARE Dragonborn.” The guard said, and knelt before Shepard, head lowered in respect. Shepard looked at Kaidan helplessly, his face paling even more, but he was saved from having to deal with it by Bailey’s voice.

“What in the Divines name is going on?”

Shepard didn’t get a chance to answer however, as the strain of dealing with the absorbed dragon soul became too much and he slumped unconscious against Kaidan’s shoulder.

~*~

Kaidan sat at the sturdy, wooden table in the small living area of the home he had lived in for as long as he could remember, head resting in his hands.

The magic was catching up to him, as were the day’s events.

They had carried Shepard halfway back to Whiterun before the man, the Dragonborn, came to. He walked in silence, flanked by Garrus and Kaidan, who had agreed silently to keep the eager and curious guards away from him. It had been a big day and neither of them could imagine the strain of absorbing the powers and soul of an ancient and powerfully magical creature. Shepard needed some time to himself, they reasoned, and they planned to give him that.

However, no sooner had they entered through the gates to the city when suddenly a chorus of voices seemed to crash through the air like thunder. It echoed in Kaidan’s head, a powerful bell like shout and he could feel his magic vibrating like a tuning fork.

“Dovahkiin!” The voices shouted.

Slowly the sound faded away and the group remained frozen, shocked and terrified. Kaidan glanced at Shepard, whose face was pale once more.

“What was that?” One of the guards whispered.

No one knew.

Kaidan had gone home, not having to report to the Jarl, and preferring not having to deal with sour, and power hungry ruler of the Hold. Shepard and Garrus however did not have the luxury of ignoring the orders to report. 

It was barely mid morning but already Kaidan felt like the day had gone on forever.

He rubbed his forehead, wincing at the tenderness he could feel, the pounding throb of the magically induced headache. It was something he was used to however, knowing that the more powerful the mage, the greater toll it would take on the body. Some got nosebleeds, some passed out, some had loose bowels, and Kaidan got headaches. All mages burned through energy at a rapid rate, but the more magic was used, the greater the recoil back into the mage’s body.

Of course, conditioning, and intensive training could limit such effects. The Asari, those who were conditioned to powerful magics, were barely effected by intensive magical workings. But although Kaidan had trained at Winterhold, in the College of Mages, most mages required a tutor, a mentor, studying one on one, to truly unlock their potential. There had been few instructors there, Magic being as unpopular in Skyrim as it was, most trained Mages headed South to Cyrodil or to the Summerset Isles, home of the Asari.

In the end Kaidan had chosen to return home to Whiterun.

His mother was in Solitude at the moment, visiting a friend, which left him alone in the house for the moment, leaving him with his thoughts, whirling around his head, punctuated by the pounding of his headache.

A Dragonborn.

The instant he’d gotten home he’d headed upstairs into the small library room, filled with tomes about this and that. His own shelves in his bedchamber were filled with books on spells that he studied carefully. They were apprentice books however, and Kaidan had memorised them years ago. Still he kept them.

The books in here were more varied, a small shelf for the sillier texts for instance, like the Lusty Salarian Maid and A Gentleman’s Guide to Whiterun. Others were more serious, like Brothers of Darkness, which detailed the history of the Assassins Guild, the Dark Brotherhood. Or there was The Oblivion Crisis. None of these were what Kaidan had in mind however.

He scanned the shelves, until he found the books he wanted, a handful that had some mention of Dragons.

Bringing them downstairs he set them on the table, and sat down, and there he had remained.

He knew he should get up and do something, perhaps read one of the tomes, maybe go find Shepard or Garrus...something.

But he stayed where he was, until the door opened.

Looking up, he was unsurprised to see that Shepard and Garrus had come to find him instead.

Shepard looked exhausted, and wrung out, and Garrus looked oddly thoughtful, almost pensive even. They sat at the table with him, and then all three of them looked at one another.

“What did the Jarl say?” Kaidan finally asked, his voice quiet in the warm air of the fire lit house.

“The shouting we heard when we returned to Whiterun?” Garrus gave a wry chuckle, “Sent by the Greybeards…up at High Hrothgar on the Throat of the World.”

Kaidan’s mouth fell open, “You’re kidding me.” He glanced between them, “The Greybeards are masters of the voice, versed in the ancient art of the Thu’um. They study for decades to master Shouts. Men and women make pilgrimages up the Seven thousand steps, to learn from them. They haven’t summoned someone to High Hrothgar in…centuries…”

“It means I am this…Dragonborn.” Shepard said gruffly, rubbing his face, “Or that they believe I am. I’m just a soldier though…I’m sure they’ll realise that when I get up there.”

“So you’re going to go?” Kaidan asked wistfully, “Make sure you come back and tell me all about it…I’ve always been fascinated by the Greybeards,”

“Kaidan is practical for a Mage,” Garrus drawled at Shepard, “But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get lost in all his books and scrolls, like all the rest of them.”

That made the man laugh as Kaidan huffed at Garrus, “It keeps me informed, and improving, which you weren’t complaining about last time I set one of those draugr sneaking up on you on fire…”

“He’s good with fire.” Garrus acknowledged, “And healing you afterwards.”

Shepard grinned and leaned in toward Kaidan who felt himself drawn forward, curious.

“I won’t be coming back to tell you about High Hrothgar…” he said lips curling up, “Because you and Garrus are coming with me. We’re in this together.”

~*~

The week or so that they spent up in High Hrothgar had been one of the most peaceful and educational of Kaidan’s life. 

As a friend of the Dragonborn he had been permitted into their massive library, and one of the Masters had even taught him a paralysis spell, which he practiced on Garrus, much to the Turian’s annoyance. They didn’t see much of Shepard, as the Masters Anderson and Master Hackett had him sequestered away most of the days, explaining the mysteries of the voice, and why Shepard had been summoned to the mountain citadel. 

The secrets of the Voice were sacred, and something that Shepard had to learn about alone.

Still they all saw each other once more at suppertimes, gathered in the stone guest chambers, cooking something over the hearth. After Shepard’s first attempt at cooking both Garrus and Kaidan had deemed it wise that the man never cook again…for their safety and his.

Shepard claimed it was a conspiracy…or jealousy.

Garrus replied that yes, it was a conspiracy…to stay alive as long as possible, and Shepard was threatening that.

For all the jokes and the teasing however, Kaidan could see Shepard wasn’t really relaxed. He enjoyed the banter, and their company of course, but the burden of being the solitary Dragonborn, a figure of legend, and the lessons that the Greybeards were imparting on him, were wearing on him.

Sometimes Kaidan would wake and listen to the sounds of the man tossing and turning in his sleep, low, uneasy muttering drifting across the cold chamber to his ears.

He wished there was some comfort he could offer.

But everytime he stayed in his bed, just listening, and wishing he was brave enough to take that first step.

~*~

“Have you ever heard of the name Alduin?” Master Anderson asked him in the library one day.

Kaidan almost toppled off the rickety wooden steps he was sitting on, and clutched at the bookshelf to steady himself as he looked down at the man swathed in his dark blue robes. Intent black eyes looked back, waiting for an answer.

“Alduin?” Kaidan thought hard, a small frown creasing his brow. “No….wait…as in the Alduin from The Alduin/Akatosh Dichotomy?”

His hand reached out, snagging the battered book from the nearby shelf where he had slipped it back two days ago. The book had been left out in the living area of the temple, and Kaidan, who had never seen or read the book before had read it out of curiosity, before putting it back in the library.

Master Anderson smiled.

“Shepard was reading that a few days ago. Yes…the same Alduin as talked of in that tome.”

“The World-Eater…” Kaidan recited automatically, “A great and ancient dragon…devours souls for his power…the author seemed dismissive of the legends.”

“He was incorrect.” Anderson walked over to a chair and sat down, leaving Kaidan to slide down the wooden stairs with curiosity and join him, “Alduin is in fact real, and most definitely not an embodiment of Akatosh, the first great Divine.”

“You mean…” Kaidan processed this and then his eyes widened, “Alduin destroyed Helgen.”

“Indeed.” Anderson folded his arms in his wide sleeves, dark eyes intent on Kaidan’s own, “And he is intent on fulfilling his destiny. To end all mortal lives and to consume their souls.”

“You mean to tell me…” Kaidan gulped, “That there is a ruddy great dragon out there trying to end the world?”

Anderson nodded.

“Alduin can only be destroyed by one thing…and he has tried to destroy him once already…before he even knew of his power.”

Kaidan’s stomach sank.

“The Dragonborn….Shepard…Shepard has to defeat this dragon?”

Another nod.

“Shepard will need help in the months to come Kaidan Alenko of Whiterun,” Anderson’s voice was serious, “He will need exceptional men and women to help him in his struggle against the dragons…because Alduin is raising all the beasts once slain…an army of dragons to ravage the countryside…He cannot do it alone…and if he cannot….then the world will end as we know it…”

Silence fell and then Kaidan spoke with a nervous laugh.

“No pressure or anything.”

Anderson’s smile was a little sad, “He is our only, and best hope. But no man is an island…alone he will fall. He needs people to rely on.” The Master stood up, patting Kaidan’s shoulder, “Think it over son…and let me know.”

~*~

A few days later Shepard left High Hrothgar, heading down into Skyrim once more, to begin his quest to find a way to defeat Alduin. Anderson had given him a number of leads, and they were heading back to Whiterun to investigate them properly.

Anderson’s gaze met Kaidan’s briefly as the Mage stood, flanking Shepard, Garrus beside him.

And he smiled.

~*~

“Dragon!”

Garrus’ shout broke the silence jolting Kaidan out of his own thoughts and bringing him back to the moment at hand. Instantly he lifted his head, eyes combing the sky as Shepard swore, leaping down from his horse. There, he spotted what Garrus’ sharp eyes had seen first, in the distance, a great shape swooping down. A moment later a distant roar could be heard, and the dragon dived, heading for their position with great beats of its huge wings.

“Kaidan!” his eyes snapped back to Shepard, away from the monster of legend bearing down on them, and saw the Dragonborn with his blades drawn, “Frost dragon! I need you to use your fire spells on it. Garrus, flaming arrows, got any?”

It seemed Kaidan had not been the only one studying during their sojourn on the Throat of the World.

“What do you take me for Shepard?” Garrus dismounted easily, hands drawing his bow and reaching back, pulled a pouch of arrows from his quivver, jamming them into the snow point first for ease of drawing, “An amateur?”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Shepard drawled back, a half smile curling up his lips as he tracked the dragon’s circling, “Kaidan...”

“On it.” Kaidan nodded, sliding quickly off his horse and sending it off the side of the road with a quick slap to its rump. Calling on the familiar warmth of his magic, he sketched the sign for fire and suddenly the warmth bloomed in his hands, fire bursting into life. It always gave his stomach a little thrill to call on his magic, siphoning off some of that magical energy before it overwhelmed him. Mages had to use their magic, many were driven mad if they chose to ignore their talents, and every time he felt it come to his touch, he felt its relief, almost pleasure at being used. But perhaps even more thrilling was the look in Shepard’s eyes as he watched the fire dancing between Kaidan’s fingers.

So many feared magic. But Shepard...Shepard seemed to like it.

Garrus’ bow twanged, sending an arrow arching up into the air, followed quickly by another, as the dragon swooped in to sear the ground with an ice laden roar. Icicles shot from the great beasts maw, along with ice so cold it burned when it touched the skin. Kaidan darted forward, the magic leaping almost instinctively from his fingers, a wave of heat flowing from him to melt the dragons icy breath before the deadly spikes could reach them. Then as the beast swooped overheard, roaring in fury at being thwarted, he shot a ball of flames up into the exposed belly, causing it to shriek and the wingbeats to falter.

Another arrow zipped through the air, to punch through one of the delicate wingsails as Shepard raced past Kaidan, blades in his hands, “Bring her down!” he roared to them, blue eyes trained on the dragon as it tried to keep itself airborne, “Kaidan!”

Magic leapt from Kaidan’s fingers again, this time not the warm heat of flames, but a deep purple as the paralysis spell he’d learned in High Hrothgar, curled around the dragon. She fought him, and he could feel the struggle through his bones and through his magic, pain splitting through his head as she shrieked. He knew the instant she gave in, the instant she let his spell take hold and gasping with triumph he brought his hands down, the spell holding her fast as she landed, unable to move.

“Go Shepard!” he shouted, feeling sweat dripping down his forehead at the strain it took to hold the dragon inert.

In an instant Shepard was there, leaping up the scaled leg to stand on her neck, over her great head. The dragon, knowing that her end was upon her, keened desperately, the sound only cutting off when one of Shepard’s blades pierced her skull.

Silence fell for only a brief moment before slowly the dragon began to glow. The magical wind picked up, making Kaidan’s hair stand on end, as it sang against his skin, the magic curling around the dragon, her essence melting away into it to reach up to Shepard.

John’s face was uplifted, eyes closed as the magic absorbed into his skin, making him glow with that unearthly golden light until it faded, leaving the man breathing heavily, crouched on the skeleton of what had, a few moments before, been a living, breathing dragon.

“I’ll never get used to that.” Garrus murmured to Kaidan, walking up to stand by his side, slowly unstringing his bow and slinging it across his shoulders once more.

Shepard leapt from the neck of the skeleton, landing in the partially melted snow, and walked over to them, his face set in tense, unhappy lines.

“Neither will I.” He said quietly, walking over to his horse.

Silently, Garrus and Kaidan followed.

  


**[Art by JoAsakura](http://joasakura.tumblr.com/post/34142495144/art-based-on-and-created-for-dragonborn-by) **

~*~

“Are we sure we can trust them?” Kaidan muttered at Garrus as Shepard showed the strange man and woman around Breezehome, Shepard’s house in Whiterun. The Turian shrugged at him, clearly just as bemused by the situation as he was,

Things had gone well after the defeat of the Frost dragon, who Shepard had told them was named Grahetkah, and they had arrived at Whiterun before the gates were barred for the evening.

After that Shepard had bought Breezhome with some of the gold he’d earned from helping the Jarl and the bits he’d gathered during their adventuring. The house was small but homely, and Shepard seemed to love it, despite Kaidan having offered the use of his large and largely empty family home.

It had become their temporary base while they traced down leads on Dragons, following up the information Anderson and Hackett had given them before they left High Hrothgar.

One such lead had been the search for an ancient artifact, one that Shepard had had to go on alone, since only a Dragonborn, using the Thu’um for Whirlwind sprint could get through the obstacles and traps laid through the dungeon.

Kaidan hadn’t been happy about the idea of the man going alone, and it had made his face warm slightly when Shepard looked so pleased at how insistent he was to go with him. But in the end he and Garrus had stayed behind, continuing their research and doing a few odd jobs around the Hold.

And then Shepard had returned…with the man and woman.

He called them Jacob and Miranda, and Kaidan wasn’t sure he trusted them yet. Jacob seemed nice enough and could wield one of those two handed battleaxes better than most of the warriors Kaidan knew. But Miranda…she unnerved him a little. 

She was a Mage...but her magical energy was very different to Kaidan’s own. Each Mage had a natural affinity for one or two of the schools of magic, a talent that made learning and mastering the spells of that field easier. Kaidan specialized in Destruction and Restoration, but Miranda, although she had a number of handy frost spells, specialized in Conjuration: the summoning of creatures, daedric monsters, to fight on her behalf. 

Conjuration was Kaidan’s least favourite of the schools, finding the Daedric side of things far too dark for his liking. He was a follower of the Divines…not the Daedric lords…even though he had to grudgingly acknowledge their existance. Summoning the Daedric creatures from the realms of oblivion, bending them to your will and forcing them to fight for your cause until your magic released them or they died, to be reborn back in their realm, did not sit well with Kaidan.

But he couldn’t deny…she was a powerful Mage.

According to John, the two of them were Blades, an ancient order that had served the Dragonborns of old, before they became the Emperor’s bloodline. Their official function had changed then to be the personal bodyguards and agents of the Dragonsblood Emperors, until they had been assassinated. In the centuries since, the Blades had been almost completely wiped out. But now…they had a new Dragonborn to follow.

They had needed a demonstration of Shepard’s blood after they waited for him to come for the artefact. They’d needed to know he really was the Dragonborn they’d been hearing about, and so they devised a test. They had records of a dragon cairn and when they had travelled to the place, they had seen Alduin, resurrecting Sahloknir from the earth. 

“He spoke to me in the Dragon tongue.” Shepard told Kaidan, eyes shining, “It was like…hearing something that a part of me almost understood…but not quite. I need to learn the language…do you think we could find some texts on that Kaidan?”

“We need more information on the Dragons in general.” Miranda interrupted even as Kaidan nodded, “There is an Asari, by the name of Liara….she’s an expert on the dragon lore. We need to find her before Alduin sends some of his mortal agents to deal with her.”

“Why would Alduin seek out a single Asari…?” Garrus asked, looking between Shepard and Miranda.

“Because Alduin knows of the prophecy about the Dragonborn,” Jacob’s voice was low, “But he knows only as much as Shepard here does. However…Liara knows the location of the full prophecy. She has studied this topic for decades. But no one has paid much heed to her work…until now.

“Without it, you have no hope of defeating him.” Miranda says quietly, “And if he knows what to defend himself against then…we have little chance of success.”

“Do you at least know where this Asari is?” Garrus said, staring down at the huge map of Skyrim on the table. “Tell me she’s at least IN the Kingdom.”

“Tell me Shepard,” Miranda leaned forward, a faint smirk on her lips. “How do you feel about thieves and rats?”

~*~

“Pack.” Miranda ordered, throwing the backpack at Kaidan’s chest as she strode into the room.

As Kaidan gaped at her, understandably he thought since she was supposed to be with Shepard, rescuing Liara in Riften, Garrus followed her in through the door.

“Pack what?” Kaidan spluttered, following the pair through his house, “Where’s Shepard? What in Oblivion is going on?”

“We have Liara,” Garrus reassured him, “And Shepard is fine,” he added as Kaidan’s mouth opened to ask, “He’s only an hour or so behind Miranda, we need to be ready when the others get here.”

“Ready for what?” Kaidan scrambled after him, grabbing another pack from under his bed, “Where are we going?”

“Liara said the prophecy…” Miranda said, heading into Kaidan’s library and tugging some books off the shelves, “…was located at an old Blade temple in the mountains near Markarth.”

“You know I hate Markarth.” Kaidan muttered at Garrus.

“We’re not going to the actual city, just in the Hold.”

“Why couldn’t it be in Whiterun?”

“If I could I would go back in time and ask the ancient Blades that but for now…Sky Haven is in Markarth.” Miranda snarked, walking back into the room and slipping the books into one of the packs. “It will be our new headquarters for the campaign against Alduin. According to her records it has the facilities to keep us in suitable readiness as well as being where the prophecy is. We shall need to study it in detail. My experience with prophecies is that there is always a loop…or a trap.”

“What Lady Positive is trying to say,” Garrus pushed the empty pack back into Kaidan’s arms, “Is that you need to pack everything you think you may need for an extended hunting trip against dragons.”

“What about Breezehome?” Kaidan asked, hurrying into his bedchamber and opening his closet. Quickly he tugged down his collection of apprentice mage robes, tucking them into his pack. “The map…”

“We’ve got it.” Garrus scooped Kaidan’s research on dragons into the pack, “It’s outside with…the extra help.”

“The extra help?” Kaidan paused as he pushed in some boots into his bag. Garrus left the room and Kaidan scrambled after him, “What extra help Garrus?”

~*~

“How do you find these people?” Kaidan muttered at Shepard, arms looped loosely around the man’s waist as they rode down the road towards Rorikstead and the boundaries of Markarth and Whiterun Holds.

There had been limited funds for horses at the Whiterun stables, and so they had been only able to afford one more riding horse and a carriage horse, with wagon for their trip into the mountains.

And somehow Shepard had managed to collect some more misfits to his cause in the brief time he’d been out of Kaidan’s sight. Something he had been very unhappy about when the Dragonborn had left for Riften. But they had needed to move swiftly, in a small group, and Miranda was a mage, who knew where Liara was… unlike Kaidan. It had made sense…even though he hated that it did.

Where there had once been Shepard, Kaidan and Garrus, now they had Miranda and Jacob who shadowed each other like warriors with years of experience working together but also Liara, another Mage who Kaidan quite liked.

And that was not all.

Shepard had returned with not one but two Asari.

The other was called Samara, a much older Asari to Liara, and ancient in power too, who had smiled slightly at Kaidan when they met. He could feel the power in her, the living magic that seemed to sing through her body as naturally as breathing. It was…refreshing…soothing to him. She too seemed to specialise in Destruction and Restoration, and he already had plans to ask her for some training when they got a chance. Once they were settled at Sky Haven of course.

Riding with her was a female warrior, kitted out in steel armour and carrying a massive broadsword over her back. Ashley was her name, and she was a member of the Companions, a warrior guild in Whiterun, who had been having some trouble with a dragon when the others showed up to help her. She’d signed up immediately, stating that Shepard needed some solid steel on his side instead of just ‘that magic stuff’.

Her words.

In the wagon, looking uncomfortable were Garrus and a huge muscled man who was carrying two massive battleaxes that usually had to be wielded one at a time. The man was James, tough and muscled, who had tagged along with Shepard down into the Ratways of Riften in search of the hidden Liara.

Finally…Shepard had recruited not only one of the Nightingale thieves from the Thieves Guild, but also a Dark Brotherhood assassin, who rode behind the convoy on a horse that seemed to melt into the shadows…except for its red eyes.

No one had wanted to ride pillion on that horse…and Shadowmere as she was named, had not wanted a second rider…so everyone was happy. Her rider however was a Drell, a powerful Drell assassin with more vials of poison in his belt than Kaidan had ever seen in an apothecary. Thane, watched them all impassively, and Kaidan tightened his arms around Shepard protectively. Someone had taken out a contract on Liara….and it had only been Shepard’s skill with a blade that had stopped the Drell from finishing his goal. Now…he was with them, but he could see Liara was uneasy around him.

Understandable.

The thief was in the wagon, cleaning her nails with her dagger, wearing the cowl of the Nightingales over her head. Kasumi her name was, and although she was a Nightingale and therefore one of the best of the best in terms of being a thief…he found himself trusting her. She had guided Shepard, James, Miranda and Garrus through the ratway, the underground city the thieves ruled, a labyrinth to anyone who did not have a guide…and then afterwards she chose to come along…at the least for the story…or so she claimed.

Now, riding along the road, Shepard grinned at Kaidan’s question, “I’m charming?” he suggested, patting Kaidan’s hand on his waist.

~*~

Sky Haven Temple had not been in the best of shape when they’d arrived, but in the weeks since their arrival it had quickly become home to all of them.

Supper had become almost like a family dinner time, where everyone who was at the Temple would gather together in the huge hall and eat at the table. It was a time to relax and enjoy each others company, to laugh at James’ terrible jokes, to listen to Kasumi’s little anecdotes, to grin at Ash’s tales of the Companions, and Garrus’ stories of being in the guard. It was a time where even Thane, who had eventually decided to dress in casual clothes in the Temple, rather than the shrouded armour of the assassins’ guild, was able to put aside his cares and enjoy life.

During the day however they all spent their time doing whatever needed to be done. Samara trained Kaidan in magic, taking him on as her student and sitting with him on the mountaintop to gaze out over the mountains in meditation. A calm mind controlled the magic…a mind in turmoil let the magic control it, or so Samara told him.

The rest of the time he was in the Temple’s massive library, researching with Liara, who was as sweet as he thought she’d be. Together they collected together all the data on dragons they could find and gave it to Shepard.

To make the Temple livable, Miranda had found a veritable crew of able men and women to run the place, men and women who were as devoted to the cause as any of them were. They all followed Shepard, and such was the man’s magnetic effect on people that within a few days of joining them, they had pledged themselves whole heartedly to his side.

~*~

“Have you ever tried alchemy Kaidan?” Mordin asked him one day.

Mordin was a Salarian apothecary from the Markarth slums who had joined their cause after Shepard expressed interest in his research on Nirnroot, a strange little plant that Mordin found fascinating. He brewed poisons for Thane, healing potions for the warriors, stamina draughts for Shepard to keep him going, and magicka boosters for the mages. 

All it took was mixing the right ingredients…in the right measurements and order.

Kaidan had not tried alchemy before,

But after he almost blew up Mordin’s alchemy lab, he was banned by a laughing Shepard, covered in purple goo, from ever trying again.

~*~

It was not entirely idyllic however.

Shepard still had to go out to hunt dragons, sometimes with Kaidan by his side and other times not. And every time he was gone Kaidan would worry, wondering anxiously when the man would return. 

If he would return.

He had often wondered if he should tell Shepard of his feelings, the messy, complicated feelings that the man stirred in him.

It had been a crush…but now…after so long together…after getting to know him as a man…it had deepened.

He loved Shepard, but he never told him so.

Even though every time he returned Kaidan’s heart would jump into his throat for gladness.

Even though every time he returned, it was Kaidan’s gaze he sought out first.

Along with that heart stopping grin they saw far too little of.

~*~

“Fus-Ro-Dah!”

There was something incredible about watching Shepard Shout, Kaidan thought to himself, leaning against the wall of Sky Haven Temple, watching the man down in the courtyard.

It was late in the evening, the only light coming from the braziers located by the stairs and around the courtyard, and Shepard was standing in the centre of the main training yard, dressed only in a soft tunic and breeches, no weapons in his hands.

He did not need them.

“Fus-Ro-Dah!”

Energy rippled from Shepard, the powerful surge that would stagger any that stood before it, causing the juniper tree across the courtyard to bend backwards dangerously. Shepard’s blue eyes watched it arch and then straighten as the shout passed, and his lips pursed slightly.

“Feim-Zi-Gron.”

And the man’s form shimmered before his eyes, suddenly becoming translucent and insubstantial. That was new, Kaidan thought, gasping at the ghostly transformation. He watched as John’s spectral head turned towards him, and felt a shiver travel up his spine.

He did not like to think of Shepard as a ghost, or a spectral embodiment of any kind. But the apparition below was obviously John, just…not physical any longer.

Slowly Shepard’s form solidified before him once more as the power of the Thu’um faded, and Kaidan breathed a soft sigh of relief even as his gaze met the other mans.

John’s blue eyes were fixed on him, and there was something in those pale depths that made Kaidan’s breath catch once more. They were intense, that almost feral focus that he usually only got when he was embracing his dragon blood.

Slowly he stepped away from the wall and into the light of the brazier, and he saw Shepard turn fully to face him.

They had danced around this for too long, their battlefield flirting, Shepard’s protectiveness, Kaidan’s comfort, all of it had led to this, this moment on the side of a mountain…and nothing left to hide behind.

“Wuld-Nah-Krest!”

He barely had time to register the shout before Shepard was suddenly right before him, overwhelmingly so, their chests pressed together and noses almost touching. Kaidan’s breath sucked in sharply on a gasp, but he did not move back, his own gaze held inexorably by Shepard’s own.

“Dii…” the man murmured, the dragon tongue curling around Kaidan as the warmth and smell of Shepard enveloped him, “Hin kos dii…”

“You are mine.” Kaidan whispered, and saw Shepard’s eyes gleam with surprise and then pleasure, “I’ve been studying. The library has all those dragon books…”

“Kaidan.” Shepard’s voice was low, but warm, intimate. Slowly the man leaned in, and his lips pressed against his, just a soft nudging of lips against one another, like moths brushing together. Shepard’s lips were soft, dry but warm, and Kaidan could feel his hand, when it came up to cradle his cheek, almost tremble with the tenderness of the kiss.

He’d never been kissed like this before, like he was something infinitely precious, something wonderful, something to be treasured, and the fact that it was Shepard, whom he had longed for, for so many months made his heart beat wildly in his chest.

“This is right,” he whispered against his mouth and felt Shepard’s lips curl up in response, “This feels right, doesn’t it?”

“You and me.” Shepard’s voice was a low rumble, “Hin kos dii.”

“Hin kos dii.” Kaidan replied, fumbling with the unfamiliar language.

No more needed to be said, and so they stood together, just holding one another, as the two moons made their way slowly across the night sky.

**[ Art by JoAsakura](http://joasakura.tumblr.com/post/34142495144/art-based-on-and-created-for-dragonborn-by)**

~*~

“We cannot wait any longer.” Miranda insisted, hands braced on the map spread over the massive stone table in the conference hall of the Temple.

They were all gathered there, all of Shepard’s companions, his squad of loyal warriors, Mages, thief and assassin. All were there, looking at Miranda’s finger pointing at Whiterun.

“The Elder Scroll showed us the shout Dragonrend…Shepard can use it against Alduin.” 

Kaidan scowled at that, but his frown loosened slightly when Shepard’s hand lightly touched the small of his back.

He hadn’t liked that Shepard had been sent back in time to a period of ancient warfare, and he definitely hadn’t liked that he’d faced Alduin with no one by his side except for Alduin’s estranged brother, the Dragon Paathurnax.

Paathurnax had been the true Master of the Greybeards, Shepard had revealed to them all after the incident. A solitary dragon who had never been hunted down, to wait for his brother to return. It had been he who sewed the seeds of his evil brother’s destruction, and it had been he who taught John all about the power of the voice.

Miranda had been furious, shouting that Shepard needed to kill this dragon, but Shepard had talked her down, convincing her with his own conviction; Paathurnax was no enemy of theirs.

And so, now it was Paathurnax, with Shepard’s knowledge, who had provided them with the means of their victory.

“We capture his lieutenant…” Garrus, tapped Whiterun, “Dragonsreach once held a dragon…”

“Oodaviing.” Shepard said softly, “Paathurnax taught me how to summon him.”

“We summon him, trap him and then we make him tell us where Alduin’s Eyrie is.” James nods. “Alduin is going to send bloody everyone at us…you know that right?”

“It’s what must be done.” Shepard’s voice was soft, “And then….we’ll use his portal to Sovngarde…and destroy him there….where he can never be reborn.”

“It may be suicide.” Thane’s voice was soft, “But I stand by your side.”

“As do I,” Kaidan said, looking up at his lover. John smiled down at him softly, as the others all chorused their willingness to stand with their leader.

“Very well.” The Dragonborn said, “Get some rest…we ride at dawn.”

~*~

Kaidan couldn’t sleep. 

His bedchamber was too quiet, only the soft rustle of the juniper berries out in the courtyard broke the oppressive silence. Normally he thrived on the silence, but tonight…tonight he was restless.

Tomorrow Shepard would be facing his destiny, fighting against Alduin. 

Tomorrow he and the others would be fighting an army of ancient dragons,

Tomorrow…the world might begin ending.

He might lose Shepard.

The thought drove him out of his warm bed, wincing at the icy chill of the stone floor, and slipped on some shoes as he tugged on a thick robe over his bedclothes. Silently he padded through the halls, heading towards Shepard’s bedchamber. Once there he hesitated, lifting his hand to knock and then dropping it again. What if Shepard was sleeping? What if he disturbed the rest of a man who was going to be fighting for his life the next day?

He turned away from the door, just as it swung open.

“You going to come in?” Shepard asked, a small smile on his lips as he looked at his mage, softness in his blue eyes, “Or are you going to hang around out here a bit longer.”

“How did you know I was out here?” Kaidan was surprised, but unresisting, as Shepard reached out, drawing him into the room, shutting the door behind them.

“I can always tell when you’re nearby.” Shepard’s hand lifted, to brush across Kaidan’s jaw, “The dragons I absorb…they are like pure magic…I can feel yours nearby…it’s like…sunlight….” 

Kaidan’s breath hitched in his throat.

“Can you feel them? The dragons?”

“They are a part of me now…” Shepard smiled slowly, “Each of them taught me a shout, a new thu’um…as did the Greybeards.” He kissed Kaidan’s shoulder softly, “They no longer serve Alduin…they are with me.”

“I can’t even imagine…” Kaidan sighed with pleasure at the soft brush of lips against his skin, “Shepard…John…”

“You are like sunlight.” Shepard’s lips trace his ear and Kaidan shuddered at the sensation, breath hitching again, “Hin kos dii.”

And Kaidan could not hold back any longer. Instead he turned in John’s arms and kissed him, clinging to him and feeling the other man clutch him close with equal fervour..

Together they spent the long hours of night before the dawn…and safe together they even get a few hours of sleep.

~*~

Oodaviing was surprisingly cooperative.

Naturally Thane was suspicious at the ease of his capitulation.

“It is too easy.” The Drell insisted, watching the red dragon preening himself on the balcony of the Jarl’s palace in Dragonsreach, “Dragons do not capitulate so easily in my experience.”

“We haven’t really offered any of them another option other than death now have we?” Kasumi pointed out easily, “I would be this flexible if it meant living.”

“You’re a thief. It does not count.”

“And you’re an assassin. You don’t trust anyone. You don’t count either.”

“Dragons are very hierarchical.” Liara pointed out softly, “What he says about following the strongest, based on the blood of the Dovah, the dragonsblood, and the power of the Thu’um makes sense. If Shepard has won his alliance from Alduin, we must take advantage of it.”

“I do not trust him.” Miranda insisted, “Dragons are dangerous and terribly clever…”

“This was your plan!” Liara exclaimed, “Remember?”

“I thought he would tell us the location!” Miranda growled back, “Not that he would have to carry us there on his back! Three of us there…”

“Enough.” Shepard’s voice was soft but firm and everyone turned to look at him, “Enough. We will trust him. Liara, Kaidan and I will travel to the eyrie…and then on to face Alduin.” His gaze met Liara’s and then Kaidan’s as the others began to protest.

“You’re not going without me!” James bellowed.

“Nor me either!” Garrus planted himself beside Kaidan firmly, “I’ve been with you from the beginning, you can’t leave me behind now.”

“You should have a Blade with you…” Miranda began.

“Shove your blade.” One of Shepard’s new recruits, a scary mage woman named Jack, growled at her, “Preferably up your arse…”

“Are you sure Shepard?” Tali, one of the recruits Miranda had brought in, who had an incredible talent with placing enchantments on objects, asked quietly.

“Yes.” Shepard nodded, “Liara is an expert in dragons and Kaidan knows only a little less than her. Their magic will be effective against large numbers of them and with there only being three of us…we need all the advantage we can get.”

“And what about us?” Garrus asked, looking resigned, and unhappy about it.

“Alduin will send the rest of his dragons here.” Oodaviing’s voice broke into the discussion as the big red head of the dragon suddenly loomed overhead, “He will want to overwhelm you…to drive your Dovah back here…until Alduin can lock him out of Sovngarde.”

“You won’t be able to kill them permanently…but I need you to protect Whiterun.” John looked at them, “All of you have experience…all of you can fight…today…we have to…for the future of Skyrim…the future of Tamriel…the future of everything.”

A growl of approval left the group, including Oodaviing.

“We must be swift.” The red dragon said, “Already he will be in the afterlife…consuming the souls of the departed to feed his strength…”

In the end no words needed to be said, just the silent embraces and handclasps of farewell.

But Kaidan would always remember Garrus hugging him tight, and whispering for him to come home…Shepard too.

And he remembered promising he would.

They would.

~*~

It was a bloody mess.

Kaidan had drunk more magicka potions in this afternoon than he ever had in his life, casting spell after spell at dragon after dragon swooping down to ravage them as they raced through the mountain city.

Dragon after dragon, undead after undead…they were carving their way to the summit, golden dragon souls curling around Shepard like golden thread. A constant stream of dragon’s souls being absorbed into his body.

Alduin wanted him overwhelmed.

Kaidan was terrified he was succeeding.

Liara screamed as a dragon slashed her, flames from its jaws licking her body and Kaidan blasted the beast with a howl of fury. 

“Kaidan!” Shepard was shouting at him, “One more!”

One more dragon.

One more spell…he only had enough for one more spell. Reaching into the depths of his magic he drew out the paralysis spell, binding the dragon where he was.

The creature howled at him, but the sound cut off with a gurgle as Shepard killed it.

Kaidan felt his knees give out, wobbling under him as he landed on the ground, crawling over to Liara, pulling out the last vial of magicka potion from his belt. Some magic returned to him as he gulped down the bitter fluid, but it felt distant, kind of foggy. He was reaching the depths of his reserves…but Liara needed him.

The sounds of swords clashing made him look around.

Shepard was dueling a man wearing a wickedly carved mask. A dragon priest, Kaidan realised dimly as his magic pooled into Liara, Shepard was beautiful, fluid in motion, the dragon souls seeming to make him even more powerful and otherworldly than he had been. He looked almost feral, beautiful, divine almost….and Kaidan realised that the more John embraced the Dragons within him, the more they called to him.

No one could stand against that.

Shepard pushed the Dragon Priest off the end of his blade with his boot, and slowly wiped it clean on the now dead mans robe. Kaidan could see the motions out of the corner of his eye, the corner he kept trained on Shepard at all times, even now as he crouched over Liara, sending pulses of healing spells through her body. She wasn’t fighting him, which made this easier, but the lightning had caused a lot of damage, and Kaidan was running low on magical reserves.

“How is she?” Shepard’s voice was soft as he crouched down beside them, the flickering light from the portal lighting his face with blue and purple luminosity.

“I’m alright Shepard.” Liara’s voice was soft, a little hoarse but strong, which made the man beside Kaidan relax a little, the mage could practically feel the tension loosening, “Did we stop him from closing the Portal?”

“Yeah.” Kaidan reassured her, sending another burst of healing magic through her, feeling some of the wounds fading in his magical sight. There was not much to go, Liara would survive, “See? Still open.”

“Then...Sovngarde awaits.” Liara’s blue eyes met Shepard’s, and Kaidan felt something like unease grip his stomach. They knew something; they knew something and were deliberately keeping it from him, “Alduin will not be expecting you, Shepard.”

“Is she good to travel?” Shepard asked him, blue eyes revealing his tiredness, but they didn’t meet Kaidan’s curious gaze. Something was wrong, and Kaidan felt cold in his gut.

“Yeah...she can move.” He nodded, sending a last trickle of magic into Liara and hearing her sigh with relief as she felt the pain slip away, Shepard nodded, and stood.

“Oodaviing will take you back to Sky Haven Temple.”

Wait....what? Kaidan stood, shakily, turning to face his lover.

“What are you talking about? We have to go after Alduin...”

“I have to go after Alduin....” Shepard corrected quietly, “Not we.”

Even though he’d known something was up, it was like a blow to the stomach. Kaidan shook his head, denying it. “No...You can’t go alone, I won’t let you.”

“Kaidan...” Shepard walked over to him, gripping his arms, making the mage look at him, “You can’t follow me where I’m going this time.”

“Yes I can!” Kaidan leant his forehead against Shepard’s and whispered, “I’ve got your back...remember? Hin kos dii.”

“We can’t go with him Kaidan.” Liara’s voice was soft and full of compassion and Kaidan glanced at her. She was sitting up now, skin returning to a healthy blue glow, “Much as we want to.”

“What do you mean?” His voice was hoarse, throat closing slightly.

“Sovngarde is the afterlife.” She said it quietly, “We, you and I, are simple mortals...the portal would kill us....and we would become spirits, and thus prey for Alduin. Shepard...Shepard has the dragonblood, he is the Dragonborn. He can travel there, physically not incorporeally.”

“And the portal can only take one person...” Shepard’s voice was rough, “One person, and then it closes.”

“But...” Kaidan’s mind began to spin, “How will you get back?”

There was silence for a long moment, before Shepard answered.

“I won’t be coming back. No one comes back from the dead Kaidan.”

There was a roaring in his ears, pressure building around his head, and he could feel his magic reacting to the violently turbulent emotions searing through him. Shepard stepped back in alarm as lightning sizzled across Kaidan’s skin, as ice trickled from his fingertips, and fire made his body rise in temperature. He knew the Mage was struggling to control himself but a moment later he was back and holding him in his arms, Kaidan’s magic curling around both of them.

“No...” Kaidan whispered into his neck, “I can’t let you. You can’t ask me this Shepard...”

“I need you to go back Kaidan...” Shepard’s hand stroked his cheek, “Please...”

“Not without you...” He clutches at the other man, “What’s the point of any of it without you?”

“You need to protect people from the Dragons....” Shepard’s lips pressed a soft kiss to his temple, “You may not be able to kill them, absorb their powers, but you can kill them, force them to reincarnate again.” He tilted Kaidan’s chin up, feeling the magic slowly dissipating around them, “You’re a Blade now Kaidan. And this is a command from your Dragonborn.”

“Yes sir...” he whispered, feeling his heart beginning to ache, “Garrus is going to be pissed...”

Shepard’s laugh was husky, “Tell him he can start bragging about being the best shot in Tamriel now.”

Kaidan’s laugh was wet, and choked, but he managed to get out a weak chuckle before Shepard stepped away from him.

“We don’t have much time...” he said softly, walking towards the ramp up to the swirling vortex of the portal, “It will close soon.”

“Shepard....John.” Kaidan scrambled after him, and Liara followed, pulling herself to her feet and hurrying after them, “John please...”

“Kaidan.” Shepard turned back to his lover, catching him with another deep, spine tingling kiss, “You know I have to do this...if I don’t go...”

“Everyone dies.” Liara finished, coming up beside them once more, eyes filled with tears. She and Shepard looked at one another and Kaidan knew they were saying goodbye, silently, without words. He shook his head, feeling hopelessness clawing at his belly.

“Whatever happens...” Shepard whispered, turning away from Liara, hand stroking Kaidan’s cheek again, “Remember that I love you Kaidan. That I’ll be waiting for you in the mead hall of our ancestors. You better show up...but I don’t want to see you too soon. You hear me?”

“I hear you...” Kaidan’s voice was rough, but he could see by the softness in John’s eyes that the Dragonborn knew everything Kaidan hadn’t said, “I love you too.....always have...always will...”

“Shepard...” Liara’s voice was choked with tears, “The Portal is closing....I can feel it.”

The man nodded and with one more fierce kiss that Kaidan clung to with his whole being, Shepard turned and ran up the ramp, standing above the swirling whirlpool of light. 

For a moment he was silhouetted there, light reaching up towards him like the aurora borealis that sometimes lit the night skies of the north of Skyrim, his swords were drawn and he looked like some kind of mythical creature, like the Dragonborn he was, rather than the John Shepard Kaidan knew.

And then he was gone and the Portal closed behind him with a great roar.

Silence reigned for long moments before a heartbroken wail broke it. The sound was torn from somewhere deep inside, a pain that was almost unbearable. And it took Kaidan a moment to realise that it was coming from his own mouth.

Even as Oodaviing winged down to land in the courtyard, his sad croon only added to Kaidan’s cry and Liara, tears streaming down her face, stood with the Mage who knelt before the ramp where the Dragonborn had been.

**[Art by JoAsakura](http://joasakura.tumblr.com/post/34142495144/art-based-on-and-created-for-dragonborn-by)**

~*~

It had been a whole month since that evening at Alduin’s eyrie.

Kaidan had had to be knocked out before he could be taken away, driven into unconsciousness to the sounds of his screams and Liara’s soft apologies.

Afterwards, waking in Whiterun, Kaidan had stayed in bed, feeling like everything had caught up with him. Months of high tension, emotion, love, pain, loss…it flattened him. He listened to the whispered conversations, the hushed worried voices, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

It took him a week to leave the bed in the temple of Kynareth, and then…he could not go back to Sky Haven temple.

Not without Shepard.

Not without John.

Instead he wandered the city aimlessly, until one day he found himself up on the wall where he had first seen Shepard.

Something tugged at him, and he looked up at the throat of the World.

Paathurnax…if anyone knew John’s final fate…it would be the ancient dragon.

So began Kaidan’s second pilgrimage to High Hrothgar.

~*~

It turned out that Paathurnax was damn chatty for a dragon. Which was fine by Kaidan as he had very little to say.

Sitting there, snugly bundled up in his warm fur cloak, the Mage listened to the dragons tales of the days before mortals walked the earth, of how Alduin became arrogant in his lordship of the lands and became a tyrant. 

“Did Shepard defeat him?” was Kaidan’s only question, asked quietly in the brief silence when Paathurnax drew breath. The dragon looked down at him kindly, and rumbled comfortingly.

“He did. Alduin was defeated and the Dovahkiin absorbed his soul. He shall not return.”

“I am glad of it.” Kaidan murmured. But even though he now knew what he wanted, he did not leave. Instead he stayed where he was. At night Paathurnax tucked the sleeping human against his side, curled up against the monument he used as his vantage place over the world. He sheltered him there against the bitter cold, so when dawn broke and Kaidan opened his eyes, he found himself warm, heated by the dragons inner fire.

Days went by and slowly dragons began to arrive, all of them landing on the mountain, rumbling to one another. Kaidan understood words here and there, the dragontongue he had studied connecting the almost unfamiliar phrases and groupings of words. 

Oodaviing too arrived and landed on Paathurnax’s tail, causing the larger and older dragon to grump at him.

“Krosis.” Oodaviing apologised, a tad insincerely.

“Why are they all coming here?” Kaidan asked them as night fell once more and the two dragons curled up together, tucking him protectively between them.

“The same reason you are.” Paathurnax informed him with a low rumble, “You shall see.”

~*~

Kaidan awoke to the sounds of dragons roaring and a magical wind whipping around him. 

He sat up, hand coming up to shelter his face, and he gaped at the sky, which was full of dragons. Behind him, Paathurnax and Oodaviing hummed happily as the magical wind howled like a tornado around them blinding them all until suddenly it lessened and then vanished.

Leaving a solitary figure standing there in the snow, gazing up at the dragons.

“DOVAHKIIN!” They all roared as one. Some bowed their heads, many flew away, shrieking insults, and Paathurnax too took to the air, to hover above the man, standing, looking dazed.

“You have done what was thought to be impossible.” The dragon proclaimed, “You have defeated Alduin, the leader of my people. Many of our kind will not accept this however…your job is not over yet, Dovahkiin. The dragons will continue to hound the people of Skyrim…and they will need their leader.”

Kaidan struggled up from the snow, gaping, hope surging in his chest.

Paathurnax rumbled softly, something that sounded awfully like laughter, “He has been waiting for you. We have kept him safe.”

The figure turned, and Kaidan gave a sob.

“Shepard!” 

He raced through the snow, ungraceful and flailing through the deep drifts, but in a moment he was in John’s arms, being held close to his chest once more, his lips breathing him in. They were pressed so tight together, no one could separate them, and even they didn’t know whose arms were whose and where one began and the other ended.

Around them the dragons who had pledged their alliance to the Dragonborn roared, a terrific sound of victory and joy.

It was a new day.

**Author's Note:**

> A massive thank you to everyone who helped me during this project:
> 
> Joasakura - Firstly and foremostly you have been an incredible art partner to have during this, your enthusiasm and your fantastic art helped to keep me going even when all I wanted to do was curl up and tear my hair out over this fic. I can't imagine what this would have ended up like if you hadn't chose my random little snippet, and I am so grateful that you did :)
> 
> Mysterysquid - For Beta'ing and listening to me wail about how everything wasn't sounding the way I wanted it to :D Thank you for always being patient with me, you're awesomeness is unmatched.
> 
> To everyone on Tumblr for your incredible support! It's meant so much.
> 
> I plan on adding to this...nothing as long as this of course but short stories of adventures with the companions, and Kaidan and Shepard of course. I know I'm curious about Thane and the Dark Brotherhood, Kasumi and the Thieves Guild, Samara and her hunt for her daughter turned Vampire Morinth. There are so many more stories to be told....I'm not done yet.


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